Pho Garden

(Outer Richmond)
2109 Clement St.  
415-379-8677 Map it

$-$$
Vietnamese
cheap eats, family style, good for groups, kid-friendly, lunch, open 7 days

SCENE: This modern space, with its vibrant green walls, dark wood floors and affable waitstaff is a cut above the other neighboring noodle joints. Stop in for a bite here before (or after) a movie at the venerable old Four Star Cinema a block away.

EATS: Pho Garden’s menu skews toward traditional and familiar rather than ambitious or modern, which is just fine by us. You can count on the pho ga, which has a light, fragrant broth and generous shreds of chicken, and comes with a bountiful plate of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and chiles. You can also depend on fresh spring rolls, plump with shrimp, pork, vermicelli and vegetables. Can’t decide? The affable waiter will pull up a chair to discuss your order, expounding on the relative merits of lemongrass chicken with vermicelli and the Vietnamese crepe.